A House bill that SEC Enforcement Director Andrew Ceresney claims would hinder investigations has widespread bipartisan support, U.S. Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) said Tuesday.

The bill would prevent federal agencies from obtaining e-mails from Internet service providers without a criminal search warrant, which could hinder the SEC investigations because the agency has no police powers.

Conyers, the lead Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, said the measure has over 300 co-sponsors from the 435 House members.

While Ceresney warned the committee the bill would be a significant roadblock to SEC investigations, he acknowledged the SEC has not tried to obtain personal e-mails from ISPs for over five years, in deference to members of Congress who have discussed updating the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.

However, several committee members contended the real reason the SEC had not sought the e-mails was a federal appeals court decision mandating the agency obtain a search warrant, based on the Fourth Amendment prohibition against improper searches and seizures.

Despite the SEC’s lack of e-mail pursuits, Ceresney said the agency has the power to take such actions, noting there are several ongoing investigations that would be significantly helped by requesting the documents.

“We issue subpoenas for e-mails all the time from individuals,” he said, adding he would like clear authority from Congress to get e-mails from ISPs.